The songs and instrumental pieces in this CD and book are those Benjamin Franklin knew and enjoyed during his long and eventful life. Franklin’s musical experiences were extremely varied and comprehensive for his day. Always an advocate for the common folk, Franklin delighted in sentimental Scots songs and broadside ballads. He authored comical texts to be sung as drinking songs. Yet as a diplomat and gentleman he was frequently at the Opera and at concerts in Philadelphia, Paris and London. He was familiar with works by George Frideric Handel, William Hayes, Francis Hopkinson, Anne-Louise Brillon, André Grétry, and Christoph Willibald Gluck.